


Venom

by eccentrix



Series: The Red String [3]
Category: Naruto
Genre: F/M, Slow Burn, Will eventually diverge from canon
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-29
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2019-08-09 11:32:49
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 11,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16449152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/eccentrix/pseuds/eccentrix
Summary: Sasuke and Orochimaru were both alike and different in many ways. However, Sasuke had certain things that your master lacked, and that was why you couldn’t fear him the way you did Orochimaru. After all, he did save your life.That was why you kept coming back to him. It was why you would always seek him out with an aching heart. His love was like venom, crawling in from his mouth and through your veins.You wondered when it would all end.





	1. Bite

**Author's Note:**

> Here’s the start of the Sasuke fic I mentioned. I’m gonna die if I keep making all these fics. Lmao 
> 
> Idk why I keep making the reader a medic nin. I love medic nins tho so no judgement mkkkkay.
> 
> Reader largely takes Karin’s spot in Hebi. 
> 
> Have fun reading my friends!

You were only thirteen when he met you. You were extremely self sufficient and strong. Orochimaru introduced the two of you, and he was initially surprised that you had little to no interest in him. You kept to yourself, as the Sound Four had been killed in battle. They had been your pupils. Kimmimaro himself had been your partner. Orochimaru had the two of you oversee the training and well being of his subordinates and prisoners. When Kimmimaro passed, he tried to replace him with Sasuke. He was met with incredible resistance from you. When Orochimaru finally asked you why you weren’t accepting of Sasuke’s new position, you simply responded that you had no interest in an ill fitted replacement. The look on your face as you had said that was one of disinterest. You had no interest in Sasuke - you were making that terribly clear.

It grated his nerves. He spent the first year in somewhat of a one-sided competition with you, but as he matured, he realized it would be fruitless. You refused to entertain him. He would never admit how much coming to that conclusion humbled him.

It wasn’t until he found your un-moving form laying in a pool of blood did he truly interact with you. You were bleeding from two holes in your neck, and a black pattern different from his own began to form as he inspected the wound.

Orochimaru was nowhere to be found. You must’ve been laying there for awhile before he had found you.

It took its place on your body much slower than his had, he observed. As he went to take your pulse, he recalled a conversation with Orochimaru that went into depth about this mark. It seemed as if your body was rejecting it even more so than his had. He had never witnessed a death from the mark before, but he knew it could happen. Something didn’t settle right.

Your pulse was weak.

He wasted no time. Your body was in his arms in moments and he made his way through the cold hallways to his own chambers. Sasuke placed your form upon his own mattress and wet a cloth, placing it on your forehead. He dropped a few beads of assorted liquid painkillers in your open mouth, racking his mind for something else he could do. After a few moments he wet another cloth and rolled up the sleeves of your grey uniform, gently rubbing it on the skin of your arms.

Sasuke momentarily questioned himself. Why should he go this far for someone who was ultimately unimportant to him?

Still, Sasuke continued these ministrations until you stirred. You grimaced, letting out a harsh hiss as you came to. Your eyes fluttered open, and when they did, he stopped. It took you a few seconds to focus on his face.

“Sasuke..?” You croaked.

“Don’t talk,” he ordered.

“It fucking hurts,” you moaned, clenching your fists to ensure that you could move. “It hurts so goddamn bad.”

“Relax. Focus on your breathing.” You went to get up and were met with excruciating pain. He gently pushed you back down. “Don’t move, _usuratonkachi_.”

You relented, chest heaving and fingers trembling. He watched as your eyes rolled back into your head and then regulated after mere seconds. Your body was being rocked by tremors, accentuated by your gagging.

He had only a split second to think before you regurgitated. Sasuke pulled your head forward as gently as he could, directing you over the side of his bed so that you wouldn’t choke on your own vomit.

This caused a cacophonous combination of retching and screaming. He slightly crinkled his nose in disgust.

After you were doing emptying the contents of your stomach on his bedroom floor, he aided you in laying back once more. He placed your head cloth back on your forehead and wiped your face off with another. He continued to use the cold cloth on your overheated skin.

Your eyes were closed, but your body still trembled and your shaking hadn’t stopped. He took your pulse again found that it was stronger, though incredibly fast.

Several hours passed this way, him only leaving your side to discard the old cloths. You had thrown up several more times, and the room was beginning to smell.

Blood and vomit did not mix well.

It was five in the morning when you stopped shaking. Your eyes shot open, and he sat up right in the chair he had brought over. You immediately sat up, seemingly without pain. You looked at the palm of your hands, rotating them to get a good look.

It seems as if your body had stopped fighting it.

“This feels…” you trailed off, looking up at him. His white uniform was stained with your blood, and his eyes were staring back at you.

“I know,” he responded monotonously. He went to stand, avoiding the mess on the floor. He held his hand out for you on the foot of the bed. “You need to be seen.” You hesitated, but took his hand nevertheless. The two of you carefully made your way from his room and to Kabuto’s lab.

Sasuke didn’t stay. He left as soon as you knocked on the door. You called after him, intending on thanking him, but he paid you no mind.

When Kabuto answered the door, you were met with a smirk that made you more uncomfortable than you had ever been before in his presence.

Something told you that he knew.

—-

After that, you and Sasuke had fallen into somewhat of a partnership. He had accidentally found out that you were a medic-nin when he had ran into you after a mission. Since then, you had began to oversee his health rather than Kabuto. You gave him his physicals, healed his injuries, and did his weekly check-ups. You and Kabuto typically split those duties with the rest of the occupants, but he was slowly taking over. It slightly unnerved you, as you were taking over the more difficult of Orochimaru’s subordinates; Sasuke included.

He was compliant, however. He never gave you any issues, and even went out of his way to make your job easier for you at times by seeking you out. It was a relief and nerve wracking all at once. You figured there had to be a hidden reason for his willingness to comply with you. Kabuto had told you that he was increasingly combative with him. You didn’t understand why he’d be so compliant with you.

A soft exhale escaped your lips as you marked yet another client off of your clipboard. You went to step back but your body met with a hard chest.

You rose your brows and turned around.

Sasuke’s sharingan faded to brown as you made eye contact. “Here for your check up, Sasuke?”

“I need you to come with me.”

Your brows furrowed. “For what?”

“Mission.”

“For what?”

“Stop asking so many questions, _usuratonkachi_.”

“I’m working.” You moved to face away from him once more.

His porcelain fingers curled around your shoulder tightly, almost threateningly. “Kabuto will do it. Let’s go.”

A curt breath slipped through your lips and you turned around. Just as you did so, Kabuto emerged from a room across the hallway.

“I will take care of it, (Name)-san. You may go with Sasuke.” A quizzical look flashed upon your visage.

“What’s all this?” Sasuke began walking, peeling his fingers from you.

“Let’s go.”

Kabuto approached, taking the clipboard from you with a saccharine grin. You furrowed your brows at him before he directed you to follow Sasuke. You frowned, but began following Sasuke before he faded into the darkness.

“Where are we going?” You called after him, accelerating to a jog in order to catch up.

“The Southern Hideout.”

“Why?”

You felt the cool blade of Sasuke’s sword at your throat. You didn’t move.

“I told you to stop asking so many questions.” You lifted your hand, pushing the blade from your neck gently.

“I don’t just follow people blindly, you know. I like to have an explanation before I listen to any orders.”

“(Name)-chan, it would be best to listen to him, don’t you think?” Your eyes slid shut and your heart started to race.

 _Orochimaru_.

You swallowed hard and hung your head.

“Yes, Orochimaru-sama.”

You could practically hear him smiling. “Good. Now go and finish your mission.”

Sasuke’s eyes flickered from Orochimaru to you.

“Come on.”

He noticed your immediate compliance, and realized the fact that you were only ever a step behind him from that point on until you had left the hideout.

He knew that behavior well. It was something he had seen in many others regarding Orochimaru, but he had never observed it in you.

It was _fear._

And it was new.

Your strong will had broken in a matter of seconds. It was undeniably a result of the curse mark that Orochimaru had unpleasantly gifted you.

Even he could remember the pain.

The majority of the rest of the trip to the Southern Hideout was spent in silence, but when you asked questions as you had before, he answered them without chiding you on it.

You wondered why.


	2. Maybe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gonna go MIA for a couple of days. Gotta catch up on TFPL and TSPH since they’re technically my main fics and I’ve been neglecting them :/
> 
> Enjoy this anyways tho

Sasuke was taken by surprise at how skilled you still were. He was always taught that medics had no place on the front lines, but it was evident that Orochimaru didn’t subscribe to that belief. He had trained you incredibly thoroughly for combat, and you had a quick mind and even faster body. You and Sasuke had returned the prisoners back to the Southern hideout without any issue. It was a mission that the two of you managed to complete in a matter of hours - one that would’ve taken days with someone else.

You weren’t too talkative. He didn’t have any qualms with that. You got your part done and only asked questions when you had to. He was grateful for that. The warden of the Southern Hideout was an outgoing, flirtatious woman and he would’ve had to deal with her if you weren’t there.

You still had to report to her afterwards anyways. He could tolerate her in small doses, but he was much more inclined to be around you than in her presence. You were one of the few women in his age group that he had met so far that didn’t trip over their feet for him.

You hadn’t seen it in person until then.

She glared at you with the intent to kill. You merely scoffed and turned from her as Sasuke and her conversed. You walked towards the door with your arms crossed and waited patiently - though you were annoyed - for Sasuke to finish.

He walked passed you without a word, and you followed him out.

“Hey,” you called to him. “Are we going back now?”

“There’s one more thing I need to do.”

“Does that involve me?”

He shot you a weak glare as you caught up to him.

“Yes. It does.”

You almost wanted to sigh. While you were necessarily opposed to accompanying Sasuke, you hadn’t packed for a long journey. You had already depleted most of your supplies because you only had time to grab a few things at a market before you’d left. It seemed as if that didn’t bother Sasuke though, as he began speeding off without warning.

You followed him, restraining yourself from asking exactly where you were going because you knew questions got on his nerves. Sasuke didn’t say a word until a few hours later when he stopped.

“We’ll rest for the night here,” he mused as he looked over the terrain.

“Sounds good to me,” you responded, immediately searching for an ideal place to pitch a fire.

You got to work immediately, gathering sticks, twigs, and the like and stuffing it all into a pile. Sasuke lit the fire and handed you a stick with a fish’s open mouth jammed over it.  

You stared at him for a second before holding the fish over the fire. He did the same. You ate in silence until Sasuke tossed his stick in the flames and looked up at you.

“Why did you join Orochimaru?”

You swallowed hard, trying to avoid choking at his uncharacteristically curious question.

“I’m technically an experiment of his,” you conceded. “He raised me, so to speak.” Sasuke’s brows furrowed.

“What do you mean?” You grimaced. This was going to be difficult.

“Years ago, Orochimaru-sama took DNA from both a woman and a man and essentially created me. I wasn’t born naturally. I suppose you could say I was artificially created,” you continued. “However, he was trying to create a being of superior power, something that likely can’t be considered human. So his experiment both failed and succeeded, in a way. I am very much a human, but he was not intending to create something human.”

Sasuke scoffed.

You gazed up at the stars. “Still, there has to be a reason I’m here. I wouldn’t be here otherwise, you know?” You looked at him again, and he only continued to look at you as if he were bored.

“Your chakra,” he started. “It feels as if I know it.”

“I took over your treatment awhile ago now, Sasuke. It only makes sense that you recognize my chakra.”

That wasn’t it though. And you knew that. It was just easier to play dumb.

But this was why you had tried so hard to avoid him initially. His chakra was something powerful, overwhelming, and it intimidated you that it felt so familiar. You didn’t understand why - you had done thousands of hours of research on chakra signatures and found nothing on what you could be feeling.

It didn’t make sense to you.

“You know what I meant.”

Your heart slammed against your chest as he was standing above you. It hadn’t even taken him a split second to move. He was just on the other side of the fire, and now he was hovering over you.

He took a kunai from the pack on your thigh and slid it across his palm. He kneeled down in front of you and held his hand out.

You swallowed. You knew he wanted you to heal it, but…

His blood began to trickle down his forearm. “Hurry up.”

You siphoned your chakra to your hand, your fingers curling around Sasuke’s injury and covering it with your green glow. It was closed within half a minute, and the ever expressionless face of Sasuke never wavered.

“You didn’t have to do that,” you chastised him. “You already know the feel of my chakra. You didn’t need to injure yourself to make your point.”

“Who are your biological parents?”

“I don’t know,” you conceded. “Why?”

He hummed in response, turning away from you and leaving your question unanswered.

Sasuke sat with his back to a tree and let his eyes shut.

A groan slipped past your lips when you realized that meant you were probably taking watch.

—-

He knew you.

From where, he didn’t know. But he knew your chakra. It was a calm, soothing, gentle feeling. It was too familiar for him to let it go. His body reacted in ways it never did with other medics. His wounds would heal faster, his nerves would tingle, and his skin would flush and heat up.

It never happened with anyone else. He knew it was your chakra. You used the same methods as Kabuto, seeing as you had been training under him for quite some time now, but it felt so different.

It felt natural. He almost enjoyed the sensation of your energy washing over his skin and repairing what had been broken. It felt as if something he had a deep longing for - or like an itch he couldn’t scratch - was finally being fulfilled. He couldn’t explain it. He couldn’t say why you made him feel that way.

But it concerned him. He had no time for these feelings, but he knew he was going to have to be working closely with you for the duration of his journey. Sasuke figured he would eventually even take you along with him when Orochimaru no longer served any purpose to him. He knew you’d follow him, too.

You didn’t have any ties of loyalty to the man who had created you. He could tell that easily; he only kept you in line through fear, and if Sasuke kept you by his side, you could play a large part in attaining his revenge.

He would need to keep his curiosity as well as his emotions in check around you, though. Sasuke’s strong resolve to remain apathetic was already wavering in your presence. But you were far too valuable to his plans now, and he would have to get used to the way you shook him - the way your chakra shook him.

Maybe, eventually, he would be able to place why you made him feel the way he did.

Maybe he’d eventually find out why he felt so inclined to save your life back then.

Maybe he’d figure out why you looked at him the way you did when you thought he didn’t notice. It wasn’t in the adoring way women usually stared; no, it was something different. Something deeper, more confusing. He didn’t even know if it was admiration.

But he knew you didn’t notice. And if you, of all people, didn’t notice that you were looking at Sasuke in such a way, maybe he was gazing at you like that in return without noticing.

Maybe he’d find that out, too.


	3. Mark

Sasuke had come to the conclusion that you were the human personification of a contradiction. The circumstances around your birth were confusing at best, your personality varied depending on your mood, and your willingness to comply to his requirements of you depended on the depth in which he would answer your questions about them.

But when he gave in to your incessant questioning, you’d follow his instructions to the T. You were thorough, fast, and always a step ahead of any of the enemies he intentionally encountered.

But yet, you never killed them. Your moral compass aligned with his own, but he didn’t know what drove you to complete the tasks Orochimaru assigned. The thought that it was the only life you knew made the most sense to him. Being able to persuade you to join him in the future would be close to effortless.

You were also consistently surprising him with your skill. He was attempting to drive you to the point where you had no chakra left to see what you would do, but that hadn’t come yet. He figured he’d have to battle you himself in order to get you to that point.

He wanted to see you rely on that mark. Those three thin lines that looked nothing like his own lay dormant on your neck. You never tapped into its power. You hadn’t needed to, at least not yet.

The two of you completed his second task, which took a fair amount of time longer than the first. It was to retrieve a vial from Kabuto’s laboratory and bring it back to him. You had grumbled about the inconvenience a little over a minute before ultimately quieting yourself and pocketing the vial, the green liquid sloshing inside of it as you did so.

Neither of you talked much throughout the trip. He’d unnerved you with his insistence that your chakra was one he knew - while you felt the same about his - and you really hadn’t wanted him to bring it up again. There wasn’t even a slim chance that he knew you.

Orochimaru hadn’t allowed you anywhere near the Land of Fire. He’d told you that you would’ve been hunted and killed if you even came close. You’d blindly believed that for the majority of your life, but now that your loyalty to him had faded due to being given that excruciatingly painful mark, you weren’t so sure it was true.

When you arrived back at the hideout, both Orochimaru and Kabuto were waiting for you in the experiment room. Sasuke had gone off, telling you to return to them with the vial as he had something else to do elsewhere in the hideout.

“Thank you, (Name)-san,” Kabuto spoke with a polite smile as you handed him the glass vial.

“You’re welcome.”

“How was Sasuke-kun?” Orochimaru asked, his own unnerving grin placed upon his lips.

You averted your eyes. “He was just as skilled as you said, Orochimaru-sama.”

“Good. What about you, (Name)? How did you do?”

“I believe I surpassed his expectations of me.”

Orochimaru’s grin grew in size. “Is that so?” You nodded, standing straight. His beady eyes flickered towards your exposed neck. “Have you used the gift I gave you yet, (Name)?”

“No, Orochimaru-sama. I haven’t deemed it necessary to do so.” His eyes narrowed and the smile slid off his face.

“I see.” Orochimaru looked to Kabuto. “Not even when you have fought Kabuto in the past?”

“No. With all due respect to Kabuto-san, I don’t need to use it in order to defeat him.” Orochimaru looked to him who nodded in agreement.

“Alright. I suppose I will have to organize a match for you in which it will be necessary for you to tap into that power in order to live.”

Your eyes widened slightly. It was went unspoken, but you all knew that the only one of Orochimaru’s subordinates that you surely couldn’t beat was…

Sasuke.


	4. Interesting

He didn’t know why he did this.

 

He was supposed to sever all bonds. He had meant to kill off all emotion, save for hate so that he could use that to drive him to revenge.

 

But seeing you cling to life _for the second time_ shook his being. It hadn’t been his doing - not entirely - but the curse mark had taken its toll on you. Your body, as it was now, couldn’t handle the strain that it put you under.

 

He stared at your resting form, his brows furrowed and his hands folded over his mouth as he rested his elbows on his knees. The metal stool he’d been sitting on couldn’t have possibly been more uncomfortable, but it wasn’t on the forefront of his mind.

 

You were.

 

That mark had spread across your skin, almost looking like it was tearing you apart. It was different than his own, and he had come to learn that it was called the Cursed Seal of Earth, the counterpart to his own mark. You had put up quite the fight against him. You were the only person to truly challenge him as of late, and while Orochimaru had demanded he take you to the brink of death, he’d refused.

 

It hadn’t mattered though, because that mark had taken you there anyways.

 

You’d became so strong that he’d had to use his second level of power against you. You’d done the same, your skin turning into a sickly purple color and your strength and chakra multiplying. He’d noticed you were also passively healing yourself.

 

When you collapsed in the middle of the battle, Orochimaru had forbade Kabuto from administering you any kind of first aid. Sasuke waited until the two of them left before hauling your body over his shoulder and returning you to your quarters, sealing the mark using the same technique that Kakashi had used on him all those years ago.

 

He’d forcibly drawn that power out of you. With that seal active, doing so a second time would be impossible. You’d have to willingly summon the power to be able to use it. He wasn’t sure you would, as the risk seemed to outweigh everything else.

 

He’d done what he could for you. He repeated the actions he’d done all that time ago, cooling your heated skin and making sure your wounds were healing well enough. He had no idea that you were capable of passively healing yourself. He didn’t even know that was possible.

 

You stirred hours later, waking with a cough. He was prepared this time, holding a bucket out to you. You sat up and quickly reached for it, hurling inside of it.

 

“Shit,” you groaned as you finished. “That’s the worst.”

 

Your eyes flickered to Sasuke, finally registering that he was the one to help you. “Sasuke…”

 

He went to stand. There was no reason to stay now that you were awake.

 

“Wait!”

 

“What?” He asked shortly, turning to face you.

 

“Why do you keep helping me?” You asked, your brows furrowed in confusion.

 

“Stop asking so many questions, usuratonkachi.”

 

It was bad enough that he felt so inexplicably drawn to you, but knowing that you had the counterpart to his curse mark made things more complex. He knew that wasn’t the reason - it just made the urge to be around you stronger.

 

“I just need to know. Is this because of our chakra?” You asked, stopping him from leaving again.

 

There was no point in lying to you. You already know he was interested in the reason why you two felt so familiar to one another.

 

“You’ll be useful later on.”

 

You didn’t answer that, and he didn’t delve any further. He left your room and you struggled to move, finding that your body was protesting vehemently. You sighed and laid back down, surrendering yourself to more rest.

 

—-

 

You never knew much about his life before Orochimaru.

 

You knew he came from the Uchiha clan of Konohagakure, but you didn’t know more than that.

 

When his former team showed up to retrieve him, it taught you more about him than anything else could’ve.

 

His resolve to kill his brother was stronger than you could’ve imagined. You didn’t understand that. The closest thing you had to a brother was Kimmimaro, but you’d never be able to bring yourself to wish death on him no matter what he’d done. He’d ruthlessly cut down his teammates, nearly killed them. It showed you who he truly was.

 

Your perception of him was skewed by the quiet, stoic person that he was around you. But he was full of unbridled rage, and it seemed as if he was almost eager to be rid of his former companions. He only stopped because of Orochimaru.

 

It didn’t make sense. He’d never rose a hand to you but once when your master ordered him to, and even then when he’d told Sasuke to force you to your knees, he didn’t. He was a completely different man than who you had thought him to be.

 

He was cold. Ruthless. He wasn’t that way to you, so you wouldn’t have known. You couldn’t stomach that knowledge, so every time he came to you, you’d shrug off your duties to him onto Kabuto. The silver haired medic never asked you why. He just smirked mockingly and switched off with you.

 

You don’t know why it affected you so much. But you knew that if he had the resolve to kill them, the people he’d spent so much time with before, he could kill you just as easily.

 

You flinched when you heard the door of the infirmary close, signaling someone had walked in and shut the door behind them. You already knew who it was without looking, but you continued to focus on the injured prisoner below you. A fight had broken out among them, and you had been sent to break it up and tend to the wounded.

 

He was unconscious. That was clear to the man that was now standing behind you, and so he went to speak.

 

“You’re coming with me.”

 

Seriously?

 

“I’m not. I have other responsibilities, Sasuke. I can’t follow you around whenever you please.”

 

“I didn’t give you an option.”

 

You didn’t want to say too much in case it angered him. You didn’t want to be in the same position as his former comrades. With a sigh, you shook your head gently in disbelief. How did you always get into these situations?

 

“Let me finish up here first, and then I will go with you.”

 

He thought it strange that you didn’t ask where, when, or why, seeing as you typically did, but he already knew there was something off due to the fact that you’d been completely avoiding him. He took a few steps forward and leaned over your shoulder to look at what you were doing.

 

“Kabuto can do this.”

 

You immediately tensed, shook by how close he was to you. You could feel his breath travel down the side of your neck.

 

“Sasuke, let me finish. This is my job.”

 

“No.” His fingers encased your wrist and pulled you from the unconscious prisoner. He spun you around, and you were forced to face him. “You’re coming with me. Now.”

 

His cold, dark eyes paired with the domineering way he spoke sent a shiver down your spine.

 

You were tired of being told what to do. Him, Orochimaru, even Kabuto - they always had _something._ You were tired of being demanded to do things by people who had no consideration for others. You huffed heavily and ripped your wrist from his grasp, overcome with frustration.

 

“I am going to help this man, Sasuke. Then I will go with you.”

 

“There is no time.”

 

“No. There _is_ time, Sasuke. You _will_ wait for me, if you want me to go so badly.” Sasuke’s brows furrowed at this, but he took a few steps back.

 

“Make it quick.”

 

You took your time. You were frustrated with him. Just for being the way he was to his teammates and for trying to order you around - like everyone else. No one gave a damn about you or the others until it convenienced them.

 

You finished up, and as soon as you did so, Sasuke tugged you out of the room. You mind lingered on the way his cold fingers felt around your heated skin, and you slightly missed the cool feeling when he let go. He instructed you to follow him out of the hideout.

 

Orochimaru and Kabuto watched as the two of you left. You felt their eyes on both of you as you passed them and went out the main exit. You didn’t bother to look.

 

“Isn’t that interesting, Kabuto?”

 

“What is, Orochimaru-sama?”

 

“Sasuke-kun. Even when I give him different options, he chooses her. I almost thought he would choose Karin this time, but I was wrong.”

 

“You’re right. Why do you think that is?”

 

“I don’t know,” Orochimaru admitted. “But I will find out.”


	5. Fear

 

As he watched you tip your head back to submerge your tresses in the almost black water, he came to the conclusion that he couldn’t understand you for what had to have been the hundredth time. Your eyes remained shut as you floated on your back, nothing but your underclothes keeping his gaze from roaming over the entirety of your somehow enticing skin. The moonlight had never roused much interest from him - until he’d seen the way it danced across your form.  You looked so serene, so relaxed. He wondered how you could’ve accepted your fate so willingly.

You were being used. By Orochimaru, by Kabuto, and probably by him too. He slightly bit the corner of his lip as he ruminated over the tightness that had settled in his chest.

No - _definitely_ by him. He was forming a comradeship between the two of you solely to attain his goal. You were _nothing._ Your curse mark was _nothing._ You had no bond. He was not obligated to you. You would be useful later on - that was all. There was no reason to _feel_ anything about that. Whether or not you were a pawn in their game - in _his_ game - ultimately didn’t matter.

Why did it feel so unsettling when you wouldn’t make eye contact, then, if it didn’t matter? Why did you get under his skin in a way that he’d never experienced before? You reminded him so much of Naruto - so naive, trusting, stubbornly holding onto even a semblance of your morals. You weren’t nearly as obnoxious as him, though.

“You’ve been staring at me for the past ten minutes, Sasuke,” You observed. He stood from the boulder he’d been sitting down on and tutted.

“Because you’re wasting time, usuratonkachi,” he responded, his face unmoving.

“You could always get in yourself, Sasuke. And why do you call me that? I think I’ve proven myself,” you spoke with a slight edge to your tone. Sasuke tilted his head as he looked at you, his eyes as blank as they’d ever been. As he gazed at you, you found your heart rate speeding up. This was the same man that had almost killed his friends and you’d just snapped at him. He clearly hadn’t taken that well.

“Have you - or do you _think_ you have, usuratonkachi?”

You furrowed your brows and righted yourself, facing him completely. He titled his head a little further and you, despite your racing pulse, waded towards the edge of the small body of water and looked right up at him. “I know what I’m capable of, Sasuke. I think you do too.”

He felt compelled to squat down and lower himself to your level, so he did. His words fell from his lips before he could stop them. “You will always be nothing in comparison to me.”

“I could never even hope to compete with you, Sasuke. That’s why I’m not. My only competition is myself.” You didn’t shy away from the intensity of his gaze, and you felt his aura wash over you, filling you with intimidation. Still you looked at him with defiance. You refused to shrink back, your heart pounding wildly against your chest. Sasuke, for the first time ever, smirked at you. Your breath hitched at the change in expression - he usually looked so empty - and you felt your lips slightly part in surprise. Despite your initial fear at your close proximity, you felt your entire body warm at the way the small change suited his visage. It was mocking, teasing, but it was _different_ \- and it was because _you_ had drawn it from him.

You continued to interest him in ways others hadn’t before. The words you spoke managed to resonate with him even when you were away. You reminded him of the others that he’d previously kept around him, but you also divulged from them and strayed off into your own person. You had an incredible amount of personality. He could not see any semblance of how Orochimaru would’ve influenced you. You were far from a being created only to serve Orochimaru - you were sculpting your own destiny, and Sasuke was inclined to do what he had to do to insure that your future and his intertwined. At least until his goal was fulfilled, but… maybe after, too, if you served a purpose.

_That_ feeling came back - the one that told him you were more than just his medic, more than a tool used to further his goal of revenge - it rushed back so quickly that the smirk faded from his lips.

“Sasuke…” you murmured, eyes still connected with his own.

“What, (Name)?”

His voice was gruff but soft, and the sharpness of his tone even took him aback. He watched the micro expressions of your face stricken and found himself nearly mesmerized by the grace in which your facial expressions changed with.

“Why do you keep choosing me every time?”

Sasuke breathed out through his nose before he spoke. “For the same reason you avoid me.” Your brows furrowed.

“What d-do you mean?”

He lowered himself even closer to your face. The red of his Sharingan caused you to stutter, and you almost when to move away.

Why was he doing this? Just to see your reaction?

“You run from me. You turn away each time you see me coming for you. There is a reason why you do this.” You bit down on your lip, saying nothing. “It’s fear. You fear me.”

You couldn’t help but gasp at the close proximity between your faces. It caused his breath to fan against your lips - and your heart raced faster than before. Your heart was still beating out of control and you struggled to keep your composure. He could read you so easily that it was terrifying.

“A-are you saying you continue to come for me because I’m scared of you?”

“I’m not Orochimaru,” he continued, his tone still as sharp as before. “I don’t end lives without reason.”

Your eyes widened when you realized what he was implying with those simple words. He was saying that you were treating him like you were Orochimaru lately. He was saying that he was nothing like that, that you had no reason to worry. He was not going to kill you. That was what he was telling you. That was why he kept seeking you out.

Sasuke retracted his face from yours when he saw that it had finally sunk in. His pale fingers outstretched to find your own as he went to lift you from the lake.

Sasuke took watch, but he couldn’t help but keep his now brown eyes resting on you as you slept.


	6. Steps

When you arrived back to the hideout with Sasuke, you started having vivid dreams. They were always of the same two people, a woman that looked similar to yourself and a tall man with long, brown hair. The aura he emitted, you’d noticed, was eerily similar to Sasuke’s. However, one thing was different about the two. The man was affectionate, loving, and willingly let his guard down to the other woman. These dreams were reoccurring and felt like they were a reality of their own.  
  
  
  
He made your heart race and your palms break out into a cold sweat. You found his gaze piercing, perceptive, intimidating – much like Sasuke’s own.  
  
  
  
The way he was around others in comparison to her made your chest ache. It wasn’t a painful pressure; however, it was still an almost uncomfortable sensation. Your chest felt cold as it ached around that man, your heart felt like it rose to your throat and made you choke up. Your head began to pound like the beginnings of a migraine – though again it was painless but uncomfortable. You weren’t used to these feelings; they made complex feelings arise within you, and you weren’t sure that it was beneficial.  
  
  
Especially when that man and Sasuke were so alike.  
  
  
Just like Sasuke, he was either abrasive or emotionless - crass or apathetic – but only in public. She leveled him out. He was a completely different man in front of her.  
  
  
  
He loved her.  
  
  
  
It was plain as day. He showered her in his private, innocent gestures of affection, and oftentimes you felt like you were intruding on their intimacy, though they couldn’t see you.  
  
  
  
While he captivated you in every way, you had to admit that his wife, the woman who looked so similarly to you in appearance, was one of the strongest women you’d ever seen. She carried herself with poise and grace, and her strength was unmatched by her peers. Despite her multitude of children, she continued to train and teach, continued to lead with a strong mind and level head. What she lacked in facial expression in public she made up for in private with the man that she so affectionately referred to as “dear”. You couldn’t help but feel a surge of both admiration and jealousy for her. She was an amazing woman, that you could tell, but that man… the way he loved her made you envious. You were sure you would never be loved so fiercely.  
  
  
  
These dreams were so vivid that they occupied your waking mind as well. You were fortunate that your work did not suffer, because if it did, then you’d surely have been severely punished.  
  
  
  
You hadn’t seen Sasuke since returning from his mission with him. That had been over two weeks ago. He hadn’t sought you out for a checkup or for medical treatment, so you didn’t look for him either. You figured he’d seek you out when it was time. More time passed, and soon enough, you found yourself so immersed in your work that you’d distracted yourself from thoughts of him. That brown haired man still occupied your mind, but you’d stopped fighting against it. He had truly captivated you, and despite the fact he was taken, you weren’t even sure he was real – that was how you justified your odd infatuation with him.  
  
  
  
You were bent over a patient, hair tucked behind your ear and gloves covered in crimson when Sasuke found you. It was likely another scrap between prisoners; that happened often.  
  
  
  
Sasuke maneuvered around the metal tables that held your medical equipment and took a seat at the chair in the furthest corner of the room. He’d completely masked his chakra and snuck in completely silently, so he would’ve been unsurprised if you hadn’t noticed him. You continued on with your menial tasks, speaking softly to the groaning male beneath you. Sasuke waited.  
  
  
  
After you finished cleaning his stitches, you stood straight and stretched out your back.  
  
  
  
Your back hit something warm and hard. You inhaled sharply.  
  
  
“Sasuke…” Your heart raced as your lips formed his name. His arm snaked by your waist and went to seize the bloodstained cloth in your hand. Your fingers fell loose as he pried it from your fingers. Immediately as he did so, you noticed the gigantic gash in his forearm. You gasped softly as blood trickled down to his fingers and down on the floor.  “What did you do, Sasuke?” You asked, turning around and feeling his arm bump against your waist.  
  
  
  
Your eyes widened as yours connected with his own. A chill racked your spine, and you felt an inexplicable pressure settle down in the midst of your chest. The familiar sensation of your heart jumping into your throat caught you off guard and your lips parted in surprise. Your fingers began to tremble lightly as it all hit you at once. This was the same feeling…  
  
  
  
“Training,” he responded bluntly, the red of his sharingan fading into charcoal. You hissed as you inspected the severity of the wound, your nimble fingers dancing over the uninjured flesh surrounding it.  
  
  
  
“Jeeze,” you breathed. “Go sit down.” It was uncharacteristic of him to get such a severe wound and while your curiosity had peaked, you immediately shifted back into medic mode.  
  
  
  
Luckily for him, he wouldn’t need stitches. The prisoner that you’d been tending to before had been impaled by a sharpened metal pole – right through his chest – and needed both medical ninjutsu and chakra infused thread to close up the wound. Sasuke would only need thorough healing, but that didn’t take away from the seriousness of the situation at all. He allowed you to press a clean cloth to his injury, not even flinching at the contact. “Keep that there for a moment,” you instructed, removing your gloves and washing your hands and arms. “Do you need any pain relievers?”  
  
  
  
“No.”  
  
  
  
“If you need them, then you need them. Tell me now.”  You asserted, walking over to him, taking in the sight of his bloodied shirt and pants. You sighed at the pitiful display – he clearly wasn’t used to getting injured.  
  
  
  
“I don’t need them.”  
  
  
  
You huffed softly and gloved your hands once again. He looked up at you for a moment until you sat down across from him. You took his arm gently into one of your hands and began to siphon your chakra to heal him. Several silent minutes passed as the wound slowly closed, the flow of blood slowing in the process. You saw his body language relax and you shook your head lightly. Of course he was trying to sit through the pain…  
  
  
  
“You…” Sasuke started, so quietly that you almost missed it. You looked up at him, momentarily taking your eyes off of the gouge.  
  
  
  
“What?”  
  
  
  
His eyebrows furrowed at the bluntness of your response.  
  
  
  
“You’re shaking.”  
  
  
  
You bit down on your lip.  
  
  
  
He was too perceptive. You wondered if he’d somehow be able to tell how dry your mouth had gotten, or how hard your heart was beating – and that you could literally feel your pulse in your neck – but you knew such presumptions were ridiculous. He didn’t know anything of the weight on your chest, the weight that felt so cold and so familiar…  
  
  
  
“You’re not scared, are you?”  
  
  
  
It was more of a statement than a question. He knew you weren’t scared anymore. For the entirety of your mission, you’d acted completely normal after he’d reassured you. This – this was a change he was unsure of.  
  
  
  
“No, I’m not,” you murmured, half underneath your breath. You couldn’t explain this. You didn’t know how to if he asked.  
  
  
  
“Then why?”    
  
  
  
You stiffened. Of course he had to ask. Of course..  
  
  
  
“I just…” You looked up at him, feeling a jolt of electricity shoot down your body as you made eye contact. He watched as your brows rose and your lips parted. He felt a heat bloom in his fingers and rise up throughout the rest of his body as you maintained his gaze. “I don’t know, Sasuke.” Your face flushed as you admitted it. After all, you had no clue why he was drawing this reaction from you. Only the man from your dreams had ever made you feel that way.  
  
  
  
“What do you think of...” he paused for a second, contemplating over his words. “When you look at me?”  
  
  
  
Your heart slammed against your rib cage.  
  
  
  
How did he know? How could he tell? Was he drawn to you the way you were to him? Were you that obvious in how you interacted with him?  
  
  
  
“It feels like...” you faltered. The words almost slipped from your lips before you could stop them.  
  
  
  
“Say it.”  
  
  
  
You took a deep breath to calm your nerves. There wasn’t anything to lose. You hardly interacted with him anyways.  
  
  
  
“It feels like I know you, Sasuke. In ways that we’ve never actually... gotten to know each other.” Sasuke’s typically expressionless eyes widened a fraction.

“I knew it.”

Those three simple words took your breath away. You almost went to jerk back from him - to put some distance between the two of you - but you resisted the urge to do so. You kept his wellbeing in mind as you struggled to fight against the temptation to back away.  
  
  
The implications of such a sentence went deeper than you were willing to consider at this moment.  
  
  
You had no interest in Sasuke when you met him. Time went on and you became used to his occasional presence, though his familiar air unnerved you. And now, well, now...  
  
  
"(Name)," he spoke after a dozen tense, silent minutes. You looked up at him at the same time as him leaning forward. You were now face to face - much like you were not too long ago at the lake - and his face was as blank as ever. He didn’t miss the way you flushed slightly at the proximity. “I’m leaving.”

 

Your eyes widened and you inhaled sharply. You slightly retracted your hands from his arm, which was now completely healed. “Y-you’re what?!” You stuttered, shocked.

 

“You’ll come with me.” You retracted even further. Sasuke allowed you to put distance between the two of you.

 

“What do you mean?”

 

“You know what I mean.”

 

“When?” You asked, your heart still racing.

 

“Soon,” Sasuke responded, standing and moving closer. “You’ll come.” He looked at you expectantly, as if he wanted you to confirm it.

 

“I-I…”

 

“I want an answer, (Name).”

 

“W-Well,” You stammered, “I don’t know if I can give you one, Sasuke. It’s really sudden and-“

 

He closed his eyes and opened them once again, displaying the intimidating crimson of the Sharingan. You stopped.

 

You’d fought him once, and you had no desire to do it again. Besides, if he left, what was left for you here? Tending to men and women who were imprisoned here? Looking after Orochimaru’s and Kabuto’s sick experiments? You were just going through the motions, doing what you had to do. You’d become complacent.

 

A strong desire to see and experience more of the outside world filled your gut. It settled next to the uneasiness that had came upon you when you’d realized you’d be leaving with Sasuke.

 

“Alright,” you finally complied. “I’ll go with you. But you never said-“

 

“You will know when,” Sasuke responded, already backing up towards the exit. “Don’t say anything.”

 

“I wouldn’t, Sasuke. But I just-“

 

Sasuke stopped at the door. “Stop asking questions, usuratonkachi. Just take orders.” Your eyes narrowed at his back, but before you could fire back, he’d left.

 

As Sasuke walked away, he let out a small sigh of what he refused to acknowledge was relief. For a second, he had thought you would refuse. If you had refused, all of his planning would’ve been for nothing. His entire plot for revenge relied on you accompanying him. He needed your skills and your intelligence. You were going to be a pivotal part of _everything._

 

He fought down the sliver of emotion that had roused at your earlier statement - that you knew him. You had finally, after so long, acknowledged it. He knew you felt it too. He had always known. But he’d wanted your confirmation. He knew he’d never actually met you before, but there were many other possibilities. He could’ve seen a photo of you, heard of you, _anything._ Or… there was reincarnation.

 

Sasuke didn’t believe in past lives, but you were starting to force him to reconsider.

 

He continued down the dark hallway, his usually clear head muddied with thoughts of you.


	7. Flick

He'd seen you a few times since your last meeting, but each of your interactions had been growing more brief. You were being tasked with keeping Orochimaru healthy, as he was on an accelerated decline, and Sasuke dealt with his personally assigned duties as normal. You and Kabuto were tending to Orochimaru's every whim, and while the silver-haired medic was growing more and more concerned over your shared master's health with each passing day, you were indifferent. His death ultimately meant nothing to you. Kabuto had been urging him to complete the ritual - to take Sasuke's body, but you were countering Kabuto's words with some of your own. You told him to wait, that Sasuke wasn't at his peak yet, that he could get stronger.   
  
You were telling the truth, somewhat. Sasuke could get much stronger, but you were doing what you could to delay the process. He'd saved you twice now, and you felt like you owed him. Convincing Orochimaru to wait would be part of you repaying the raven-haired male, at least you saw it that way.    
  
You were on the way to administer him more pain medicine when you felt Sasuke's presence approach you from behind, as he was so fond of doing. Ignoring the slight twinge of agitation that spurred in you,  you turned around and immediately noticed the look of determination in his typically blank eyes. The small cup you were holding with the beverage that Orochimaru would need with his medicine sloshed over slightly with your quick movement. His eyes traveled towards the pills in your palm. Your eyes widened as he got even closer to you, stopping just inches in front of you. Your heart lurched as he made direct eye contact with you.   
  
"He won't be needing those."    
  
Your eyes widened.   
  
"Meet me outside."    
  
He passed you, not even looking back at you as he did so. You bursted into a full on sprint, the water and pills falling to the ground as you ran towards your quarters. Your heart was pounding wildly, your adrenaline pumping and a smile creeping onto your lips. You were finally going to be free of him, free of his order, free of your fear. He may have "raised" you, in some twisted sense of the word, but he had never been kind, and had even become cruel. He didn't care about you, you were a pawn in his eyes - and you didn't care about him; he was an obstacle in yours. Sasuke getting rid of him would open new doors, allow you to experience the world outside the confines of the walls of each and every hideout. You could  _ live _ . You could  _ thrive.  _

 

Your chest was rising and falling heavily with adrenaline. You burst through the closed door of your room and wrenched a bag from your closet. You filled it with clothes, food pills, ninja tools, and a light blanket. You were filling a bottle with tap water when it occurred to you to bring some herbs and concoctions that you’d whipped up earlier on in the week. Before you rushed from your room, you gave it one last look. 

 

Your stuff was everywhere, your bed unmade, your drawers open and clothes thrown about. When Kabuto would come to see you, he’d know you left with Sasuke. It was obvious. You could’ve cleaned up a bit, but instead of doing so, you took your final steps out of that room for what you hoped to be the last time. 

 

You closed the door quietly, swinging your bag over your shoulder and breaking into a second sprint to the laboratory. You felt Sasuke’s chakra spike and your excitement caught in your throat. You swung the door open clumsily, nearly slamming your bag on the table in the middle of the room and opening it in haste. You began to throw in vials, herbs, antiseptic, bandages, painkillers. You took as much as you could. You ended up filling most of the bag with supplies rather than your personal items. It took too long to do so, and you were beginning to get nervous that Kabuto would enter the room after noticing that you’d failed to give Orochimaru his medicine. You scrambled to retrieve the rest of the items you’d came for and sprinted out of the room, making your way through the dark, familiar halls without hesitation. 

 

You finally made it to the exit and with a deep inhale, you made the necessary seals and stepped out. 

 

Sasuke was waiting for you. Your eyes widened. 

 

“Y-You’re already done?” Sasuke kicked off from the stone he’d been leaning against as he waited for you. 

 

“Orochimaru is dead.” 

 

He wasn’t sure what to expect from you. You’d spent your entire life under Orochimaru, and while he was nothing close to a father figure, he’d still been an authoritarian in your life. 

 

The expression that took your face next was beatific. He was positive that you hadn’t looked so radiant before - never in your life. Your eyes twinkled with something he’d never seen before, and it was then that he realized that you were free. That word  _ free  _ had meant something more than he’d realized. 

 

You’d held back emotions, actions, and disregarded your own needs and wants for years. He understood all that now. The relief and serenity you showed him from one simple facial expression gave him more answers than you ever would willingly. He felt like he knew you more now, from that one smile, more than ever. 

 

“Thank you,” you breathed, “Thank you Sasuke.” 

 

“Don’t thank me.” That was the first thing to come from his lips. He almost chastised himself - clearly he’d released you from a heavy burden, even if that hadn’t been the purpose of killing Orochimaru. 

 

Your smile faltered. He closed his eyes, breathing out through his nose slightly as he took a step forward. As if it were habit, two of his fingers extended towards your forehead. You felt a small flick and your brows creased in curiosity. 

 

“What was that..?” 

 

It seemed almost as if you broke him from a trance by speaking. The enraged glint in his red eyes as he opened them caught you off guard, and you took a preemptive step back. 

 

“It was  _ nothing,”  _ he hissed, venom spurring from his lips. You stuttered out his name, reaching for him when he stepped away from you. 

 

“ _ Don’t,”  _ he spat, “ _ don’t touch me.”  _

 

He watched as you retreated, slipping into a defensive stance as if it were natural. Had his anger not been ignited, he would’ve commented on it, but his momentary vulnerability had caused his body to move on its own. 

 

He resisted the urge to grab at his know pounding head and turned his back to you. “Let’s go, (Name).  _ Now.”  _

 

You knew better than to ask where you were going at this point. Whatever you’d done had set him off,  _ clearly.  _ And you knew the surrounding areas well enough to made an educated guess. 

 

You remained silent, but followed his lead. As his anger dissipated, he found himself consumed with a feeling of shame for snapping at you. All the same, he wouldn’t apologize. 

 

Instead of apologizing, he allowed you to sleep during the first watch. 

 

And that… that was enough for you; it proved to you that he was trying. 


	8. Navigate

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy birthday Sasuke 💗

After spending more time with you during the journey to retrieve Suigetsu, he’d learned that you had never had to take the Mind Awakening Pill to mature your curse mark to the second state. There was a lot about you that he didn’t understand, but this made the least sense. He wanted to credit it to the fact that you were a manufactured being. Orochimaru could’ve tampered with your DNA to the point where going into that false state of death wasn’t necessary to achieve the second state, but now he’d never get the chance to understand. Not only that, but you wouldn’t either. 

 

Nevertheless, it was pointless to wonder. It was ultimately an insignificant detail. All he needed to know was that you had access to that power.

 

You would be the most valuable of his recruits. You could achieve the second state of the curse mark, you were a medic nin, you were an extremely formidable fighter, and you were intelligent. It was more than he could say for most of Orochimaru’s other subordinates. That was likely why Orochimaru had kept you by his side for so long. He didn’t care about many of the other children he’d ‘raised’. He usually deemed them disposable. 

 

You were far from disposable. 

 

Sasuke was positive. Not only were you valuable due to your skill, but you were by far the most tolerable of those he was going to seek out. 

 

Plus he needed to know why he felt that inexplicable pull towards you. 

 

It was getting out of hand. 

 

Never, not _once_ in his life did he ever have the urge to watch someone sleep. He’d spent many nights with Naruto, Sakura, and Kakashi; however, he would never even want to be in the same _room_ as them while they slept, let alone _watch_ them. 

 

But yet here he was, watching the steady rise and fall of your chest, studying the way you sighed softly every twelve and a half minutes. It was like clockwork. You’d smile to yourself and sigh. You looked peaceful when you did, so much so that he knew that you’d more than likely never make that expression when you were awake. You were always riddled with anxiety around him; it emanated off of you like body heat. Every time he looked at you, every time there was even a subtle shift in his chakra, you’d grit your teeth together. Your jaw was constantly locked. You were always on guard around him. It was why he approached you from behind, his chakra completely hidden to your sensory abilities. For just a moment, he could see what you looked like when you were at ease. You were always so tense around him. 

 

You smiled softly and exhaled just as gently. Sasuke found himself swallowing thickly as he watched your lips part in the slightest. Sasuke’s steady heart rate increased. 

 

“No,” he spoke aloud to himself, rushing to a stand and walking from the tree he’d been resting against. “Not _now_.” He curled his fingers into his palm, focusing on the bite his nails caused. 

 

He was so _close_ . He could _taste_ it. He couldn’t allow himself to be distracted by fickle emotions. He would blow them out like the frail flame that they were. Emotions, sentiment, attachment, they made people weak. Sasuke wasn’t weak, never _would_ be. He was strong enough to kill Itachi. He was strong enough to focus, to look past you and whatever sense of normalcy you represented. He’d look through you if he had to. You were the means to achieving his revenge, nothing more. 

 

“Sasuke..?” 

 

There it was. That ache in his chest when you called his name. 

 

“What?” 

 

It had come out much harsher than he’d intended it to. He didn’t redact the venom he spat though, he let it course through your veins and procure that soft gasp from your lips at his aggression. 

 

He hated that sound. Why did you always make that sound when he was angry? Were you still scared of him..?  

 

He turned around at your silence, the red of his sharingan taking you by surprise as it narrowed in on you. 

 

You bunched up the fabric of your shorts in your fingers to ground yourself. Your mind was still in a haze from your sleep. You’d woken from the sound of a twig snapping. Your eyes went to Sasuke’s feet, where you noticed said twig lying in two halves. 

 

He shifted his feet farther apart as you observed him, a clear offensive stance. 

 

You frowned and sat up. Why did he treat you this way if he didn’t want you to fear him? 

 

“You woke me up.”

 

“I didn’t make any noise.”

 

“You stepped on that stick.” 

 

He looked down. Then he looked back to you. “Go back to sleep, usuratonkachi.” 

 

“I’m already awake. There’s no way I’ll be able to go back to sleep now.” You stretched out your arms and went to roll up the blanket you’d brought. “We might as well keep going, unless you want some rest.” 

 

Sasuke looked up to the glittering heavens. It was still the dead of night. There was likely several hours left until sunrise. He was tempted to accept your offer, he could never manage to sleep _enough_ , but he ultimately decided against it. There was no point in sleeping when you had the opportunity to cover more ground. 

 

You put out the fire he had going with an intense gush of wind from your jutsu. Sasuke filed away the knowledge that you had an affinity for wind jutsu as you continued to pack up the camp. 

 

“Not too far now,” you commented after you finished. “We should be there when the sun comes up.” 

 

“You talk too much,” Sasuke responded, a gruff look on his features. He leapt into action. You followed with a dejected sigh. You didn’t know how much more of his insults you could take. You were pretty sure was bad for your health. 

 

Almost an hour passed of travel before Sasuke stopped you short. 

 

“What is it?” You asked, narrowing your eyes at his outstretched arm. He looked back to you, his eyes now dark and guarded. 

 

“Stop taking everything so personally.” 

 

Your eyes widened and you took a step back, the physical contact he had you dropping as you did so. “Do you even hear yourself when you talk to me, Sasuke? You’re a naturally cold person, but with me, you’re just _mean._ ”

 

“I’m not.”

 

“When I helped you and Karin with the prisoners awhile ago you weren’t this mean to her,” you refuted. “How could I not take what you say and do personally, Sasuke?” 

 

“Just don’t,” he spoke briskly, monotone. 

 

“Why do you care if I do?” You fired back, crossing your arms over your chest. 

 

“You get distracted.” 

 

So he could tell you’d retreated back into yourself then. You figured you might as well speak your mind. It had been bothering you since he’d snapped. 

 

“Sasuke… You’ve given me no indication that I’m even doing the right thing by following you. I could go anywhere now - anywhere I want.” 

 

Sasuke rose a brow at you and tilted his head you felt your face flush at the way his gaze pierced through you. “You know your way to and from the hideouts and their immediate surroundings. You have a good sense of direction, but reality is different than what you’ve read in books and maps. Do you truly think you can survive without me?” Your brows knitted together. 

 

“Do you think I _can’t?_ ”

 

He kept the electric eye contact with you despite how badly your cheeks were flushing. “I _know_ you can’t. You need me, despite the fact you’re too stubborn to admit it.” 

 

“I don’t need anyone, Sasuke. Especially not you.” 

 

“Would you like to put your theory to the test, (Name)?” 

 

You grit your teeth. He was challenging you. You’d never, _ever_ backed down from a challenge. Not even when it had been Kimmimaro to challenge you. “Yes. I’ll prove to you I can navigate the outside world without you.” 

 

Sasuke gave you a mocking smirk, one that almost caused you to curl your fist and slam it into his perfect face. 

 

“Give me a task and I’ll complete it!”

 

Sasuke usually wouldn’t take childish bets such as this one. But he couldn’t pass on it - this was his chance to prove to you that you would _fail_ without him, that he was your best bet of survival. 

 

“We will meet in the Land of Waves at the grave of Momochi Zabuza. I trust you know where that is.” 

 

“Of course I do,” you responded, an annoyed twinge to your voice. 

 

“Then go now. I’m giving you extra time so don’t be late.” 

 

You mentally marked where you were, and a pathway to where you needed to be. You turned and went to take off without another word.

 

Sasuke’s lithe fingers curled around your wrist, causing you to stumble backwards and fall against his chest. You didn’t know why he did these things! By now, you were becoming intimately familiar with the way his muscles felt on your back. It wasn’t something you wanted to get used to. His breath brushed against your cheekbone as he spoke. 

 

“Not everyone out there is as _tolerant_ as I am. Not everyone out there will be _kind_ to you. There is a reason most women don’t travel alone, (Name). There are many others that are just as _sick_ as Orochimaru was.” He gripped your wrist tighter for a moment. “Don’t trust anyone and don’t make mistakes. If you talk too much, someone just might kill you. Watch your back at all times.” 

 

Just as quickly as he pulled you into him, he stepped backwards. You were dizzied by how close he’d been. His scent lingered while he moved form you. 

 

“I will only wait 6 hours from the time I get there for you. If you don’t make it, I will assume you are dead and move along. Do you understand me?”

 

“I-I’ll show you, Sasuke.” 

 

“Then show me, usuratonkachi.” 

 

You balled your fists and then leapt off. Sasuke was left to his own devices as you left him alone. He stared at the space you’d vacated for several moments before closing his eyes and shaking his head. He took his time to weave his way through the throngs of trees to get back onto the path. 

 

He started to second guess himself. You’d never really been out on your own before, and you were going to be utterly unfamiliar with the territory. 

 

Sasuke clicked his tongue.

 

You’d better not get lost. Finding you would be a pain and a waste of valuable time. 

 

It was too bad you’d already gone in the wrong direction. 

  
  
  



End file.
